This book came to me as a recommendation from a friend. I like reading, but finding an interesting book for me can be difficult. I’ve seen the movie and I thought it was good, so I decided to read this book because everyone says that books are better than their movie adaptations. So naturally I went ahead and read Starship Troopers, and I was a great read.
Genre
From a glance, it is clear that this book belongs to the Sci-fi genre. It involves a war between humanity, referred to as the Terran Alliance (Earth being referred to as Terra), and extraterrestrial aliens called the Arachnids, or bugs. The Arachnids, thought to be nothing more than giant intelligent spiders, are are giant insect like race . The Terran infantry are armed with futuristic weaponry, from rifles to handheld nuclear weapons. Each weighing several tons, they lug these weapons around by wearing power suits; these exoskeletons can turn a man into a one man platoon. The power suit is the most important piece of equipment to an infantryman. However, with a closer look between all these things, this book can also be seen as a philosophical novel. During flashbacks there are discussions of morality and the "Labor Theory of Value".
Summary
Juan “Johnny” Rico steps into his capsule aboard the Rodger Young, readying for a combat drop onto the planet of the “Skinnies” who are allies of the Arachnids (called the “Bugs”), an alien race of insectoids currently at war with the Terran Alliance. When Johnny’s capsule hits the planet, they are currently in the middle of a raid to harass and disrupt the Skinnies. The raid is a success, with only one casualty.
Flashing back, Johnny Rico is fresh out of high school destined to go into business to take up the role of company boss from his father. He never really intended to enlist in the army and probably never would have if it wasn’t for his best friend, Carl, and good friend Carmencita Ibeñez. Strongly against the will of his father and mother, Johnny “subconsciously” signs himself up for service. Originally he signs up for pilot, as this was the preference of Carmncita. After two days he knew he was not going to be accepted and looked towards other navy jobs so he could travel. He is denied each job he comes across, but eventually lands on the most dangerous role in the military: Mobile Infantry. Basic training for an infantryman begins at camp Arthur Currie where they weed out anyone “unfit” to be in the mobile infantry. Recruits are put through combat training, such as combat drills, exercises, and maneuvers, using everything from bare hands to simulated nuclear weaponry. They are also given training to an infantryman’s most important piece of equipment: his power suit. The suit would turn a man into a one man platoon, giving him superhuman abilities and the strength to haul around weapons weighting several tons. Further training with the power suit takes place at Camp Sergeant Spooky Smith along with orbital drop practice within a capsule. Eventually Johnny would make it through training, but of the thousands of recruits that had originally signed up, only 187 of which did not die in training, resign, drop transfer, or be medically discharged, would pass.
Johnny Rico’s first real combat drop takes place as a member of Willies’ Wildcats in the first battle with the Arachnids after officially declaring war, even though there have been many engagements previously. The battle, code-named Operation Bughouse, is a response to the destruction of Buenos Aires; Johnny’s mother is killed as she was vacationing in the city. The plan to establish a beachhead onto the Arachnid home world, take key points, and occupy the capital is carefully thought out, but is an utter mess when the time comes to act it out. Intended to end the war, it “darn near ended the war” as put by Rico. The plan was too complex, with the Arachnids, thought to be nothing more than a bunch of giant spiders, too underestimated, resulting in a collision between the Valley Forge and Ypres that destroyed both ships, reducing the Wildcats to half their strength, and whipping up 80 per cent of casualties total. After the disaster that was Operation Bughouse, attacks from the Terran Alliance consisted of raids and skirmishes as they are not fit to fit any large scale battle. Johnny Rico is transferred to Rasczak's Roughnecks, which takes the story back to the raid on the Skinnies.
Shortly afterwards, Rico is convinced by fellow platoon member Ace to go into officer school and go full career. After getting the right papers, Johnny runs into a familiar face: his father. He had enlisted for service shortly after Buenos Aires. They finally reconcile, and his father accepts him again before he sets of for deployment. Officer Candidates School (O.C.S.), turns out, as Johnny puts it, to be "just like boot camp, only squared and cubed with books added". Johnny is lectured through math, science, galactography, xenology, hypnopedia, logistics, stratedgy and tactics, communications, military law, terrain reading, special weapons, and psychology of leadership. Eventually, Jonny graduates O.C.S. and is promoted to temporary Third Lieutenant, and ends up commanding his own unit During Operation Royalty on Planet P (an attempt to disrupt the Arachnids by kidnapping the Brain and Queen bugs), an excellent chance for him to establish his commanding ability.
Characters
Juan “Johnny” Rico – The main character and narrator of the book, Juan Rico is the son of a wealthy Filipino family. Against the wishes of his parents, he signs up to enlist in the army where he is placed in the mobile infantry. He later signs up for officer school to pursue a career in the military.
Lieutenant Rasczak – Referred to simply as “The Lieutenant” Rasczak was a very highly respected and revered platoon leader of Rasczaks Roughnecks, one of the best platoons in the army. When he is killed in an attempt to rescue two of his men (he never leaves a man behind) it devastates the platoon as they have lost their very loved leader.“The Lieutenant was a father to us and loved us and spoiled us and was nevertheless rather remote from us aboard ship – and even dirt side…” (p 178)
Sergeant “Jelly” Jelal - Platoon "assistant" to Lieutenant Rasczak, Jelal (nicknamed Jelly) is also a very respected figure in Rasczaks Roughnecks. Once The Lieutenant is killed, Jelly takes up command as Platoon Leader. "Jelly was a mother to us and was close to us and took care of us and didn't spoil us at all." (p 178)
Themes
The book, Starship Troopers, is thought to be Robert Heinlein’s way of expressing his political views, as politics is a major theme in the book. In the current government system of the time, citizenship is granted only to those who have done their time in service. This doesn't have to be a service in the army; it has only to be some kind of federal service (this is one of the main reasons anyone signs up for the army, only very few truly want to serve). Mr. Dubois, Johnny's history and moral philosophy teacher and perhaps the characterization of Robert Heinlein, discussses in flashbacks the phrase "life, liberty, and ther persuit of happiness" from the U.S. Declaration of Independance. He suggests that life and liberty exists only if truely wanted, and that, through effort and sacrifice, can be achieved.
Among those flashbacks, Morality and value are discussed as well. using the analogy of punishing a puppy to tell him right from wrong, Mr. Dubois states how nobody or any other living thing is born with moral instinct. Instead, man has a cultivated conscience (moral sense) aquired through training, experience and "hard sweat of mind". The discussion of value starts by criticizing the "pompous fraud Karl Marx". Value has two factors for a human: its use and its cost. Nothing in life is free and to achieve anything, something has to be done.
Conflict
The main conflict in the story is the war between the Terran Alliance and the Arachnids. Starting out as small border incidents, it quickly escalates into an official war following the Arachnid destruction of Buenos Aires (followed by San Francisco and other cities). The first attack on Kledanthu, the Arachnid home world was devastating to the Terran Alliance, resulting in hit an run attacks up until Operation Royalty. Though the Terran-Arachnid conflict is what the story is centered around, it actually is barely involved in the story and there is very few incidents of actual fighting.
==
Citizenship, though it plays no major role in the story line is a very important thing within the book. Compared to non-citizens, citizens gain suffrage, rights, and more opportunities, obtainable only through federal service. This is what causes most people to join the military in the book. Johnny Rico uses this excuse to justify his enlistment, but later realizes this is not the case. The passport shown is issued only to citizen of the United States. It proves that they are one and grants them exactly what would be granted to citizens in Starship Troopers, though it doesn't have to be gained through service...
Vocabulary
Incentive – drawing or attracting. Anything incentive draws you to it. “I won’t say ‘bulkhead thirty’ caused me to buck for O.C.S. but the privilege of eating with the ladies is more incentive than any increase in pay.
Troglodyte – anything living in a cave, underground, or in seclusion. "The theory was that they didn’t dare use too big of an explosion because of damage to their troglodyte habitats, even if they cofferdammed around it.” (p.293)
Bemused - confused and/or amazed. “I was so bemused by it that I had to be reminded to take the platoon out of ‘freeze’…” (p 302)
Hydrocephalic - basically having an enlarged head. "All this helmet gear makes you look like a hydrocephalic gorilla but, with luck, the enemy won't live long enough to be offended by your appearance..." (p 130)
Reading this book reminds me of another story: Metro 2033. It is a Sci-fi novel as well, taking place in the metros of post-apocalyptic Moscow. I have not read the novel; I have only played the video game. However, I have a friend who has told me the many aspects of the book and how it contrasts with the game. Based upon his tellings, Metro 2033 has also some philosophical parts to it. The book is a story about a young man named Artyom as he sets out of the Moscow metro stations to battle an evil that threatens the surviving human race: a group of mutated creatures called the "Dark Ones". It is only after they are destroyed that Artyom realizes that they were only trying to help, and were humanity's last hope of survival.
STARSHIP TROOPERS
by Robert A. Heinlein
This book came to me as a recommendation from a friend. I like reading, but finding an interesting book for me can be difficult. I’ve seen the movie and I thought it was good, so I decided to read this book because everyone says that books are better than their movie adaptations. So naturally I went ahead and read Starship Troopers, and I was a great read.
Genre
From a glance, it is clear that this book belongs to the Sci-fi genre. It involves a war between humanity, referred to as the Terran Alliance (Earth being referred to as Terra), and extraterrestrial aliens called the Arachnids, or bugs. The Arachnids, thought to be nothing more than giant intelligent spiders, are are giant insect like race . The Terran infantry are armed with futuristic weaponry, from rifles to handheld nuclear weapons. Each weighing several tons, they lug these weapons around by wearing power suits; these exoskeletons can turn a man into a one man platoon. The power suit is the most important piece of equipment to an infantryman. However, with a closer look between all these things, this book can also be seen as a philosophical novel. During flashbacks there are discussions of morality and the "Labor Theory of Value".Summary
Juan “Johnny” Rico steps into his capsule aboard the Rodger Young, readying for a combat drop onto the planet of the “Skinnies” who are allies of the Arachnids (called the “Bugs”), an alien race of insectoids currently at war with the Terran Alliance. When Johnny’s capsule hits the planet, they are currently in the middle of a raid to harass and disrupt the Skinnies. The raid is a success, with only one casualty.Flashing back, Johnny Rico is fresh out of high school destined to go into business to take up the role of company boss from his father. He never really intended to enlist in the army and probably never would have if it wasn’t for his best friend, Carl, and good friend Carmencita Ibeñez. Strongly against the will of his father and mother, Johnny “subconsciously” signs himself up for service. Originally he signs up for pilot, as this was the preference of Carmncita. After two days he knew he was not going to be accepted and looked towards other navy jobs so he could travel. He is denied each job he comes across, but eventually lands on the most dangerous role in the military: Mobile Infantry.
Basic training for an infantryman begins at camp Arthur Currie where they weed out anyone “unfit” to be in the mobile infantry. Recruits are put through combat training, such as combat drills, exercises, and maneuvers, using everything from bare hands to simulated nuclear weaponry. They are also given training to an infantryman’s most important piece of equipment: his power suit. The suit would turn a man into a one man platoon, giving him superhuman abilities and the strength to haul around weapons weighting several tons. Further training with the power suit takes place at Camp Sergeant Spooky Smith along with orbital drop practice within a capsule. Eventually Johnny would make it through training, but of the thousands of recruits that had originally signed up, only 187 of which did not die in training, resign, drop transfer, or be medically discharged, would pass.
Johnny Rico’s first real combat drop takes place as a member of Willies’ Wildcats in the first battle with the Arachnids after officially declaring war, even though there have been many engagements previously. The battle, code-named Operation Bughouse, is a response to the destruction of Buenos Aires; Johnny’s mother is killed as she was vacationing in the city. The plan to establish a beachhead onto the Arachnid home world, take key points, and occupy the capital is carefully thought out, but is an utter mess when the time comes to act it out. Intended to end the war, it “darn near ended the war” as put by Rico. The plan was too complex, with the Arachnids, thought to be nothing more than a bunch of giant spiders, too underestimated, resulting in a collision between the Valley Forge and Ypres that destroyed both ships, reducing the Wildcats to half their strength, and whipping up 80 per cent of casualties total. After the disaster that was Operation Bughouse, attacks from the Terran Alliance consisted of raids and skirmishes as they are not fit to fit any large scale battle. Johnny Rico is transferred to Rasczak's Roughnecks, which takes the story back to the raid on the Skinnies.
Shortly afterwards, Rico is convinced by fellow platoon member Ace to go into officer school and go full career. After getting the right papers, Johnny runs into a familiar face: his father. He had enlisted for service shortly after Buenos Aires. They finally reconcile, and his father accepts him again before he sets of for deployment. Officer Candidates School (O.C.S.), turns out, as Johnny puts it, to be "just like boot camp, only squared and cubed with books added". Johnny is lectured through math, science, galactography, xenology, hypnopedia, logistics, stratedgy and tactics, communications, military law, terrain reading, special weapons, and psychology of leadership. Eventually, Jonny graduates O.C.S. and is promoted to temporary Third Lieutenant, and ends up commanding his own unit During Operation Royalty on Planet P (an attempt to disrupt the Arachnids by kidnapping the Brain and Queen bugs), an excellent chance for him to establish his commanding ability.
Characters
Themes
The book, Starship Troopers, is thought to be Robert Heinlein’s way of expressing his political views, as politics is a major theme in the book. In the current government system of the time, citizenship is granted only to those who have done their time in service. This doesn't have to be a service in the army; it has only to be some kind of federal service (this is one of the main reasons anyone signs up for the army, only very few truly want to serve). Mr. Dubois, Johnny's history and moral philosophy teacher and perhaps the characterization of Robert Heinlein, discussses in flashbacks the phrase "life, liberty, and ther persuit of happiness" from the U.S. Declaration of Independance. He suggests that life and liberty exists only if truely wanted, and that, through effort and sacrifice, can be achieved.Among those flashbacks, Morality and value are discussed as well. using the analogy of punishing a puppy to tell him right from wrong, Mr. Dubois states how nobody or any other living thing is born with moral instinct. Instead, man has a cultivated conscience (moral sense) aquired through training, experience and "hard sweat of mind". The discussion of value starts by criticizing the "pompous fraud Karl Marx". Value has two factors for a human: its use and its cost. Nothing in life is free and to achieve anything, something has to be done.
Conflict
The main conflict in the story is the war between the Terran Alliance and the Arachnids. Starting out as small border incidents, it quickly escalates into an official war following the Arachnid destruction of Buenos Aires (followed by San Francisco and other cities). The first attack on Kledanthu, the Arachnid home world was devastating to the Terran Alliance, resulting in hit an run attacks up until Operation Royalty. Though the Terran-Arachnid conflict is what the story is centered around, it actually is barely involved in the story and there is very few incidents of actual fighting.==
Vocabulary
Reading this book reminds me of another story: Metro 2033. It is a Sci-fi novel as well, taking place in the metros of post-apocalyptic Moscow. I have not read the novel; I have only played the video game. However, I have a friend who has told me the many aspects of the book and how it contrasts with the game. Based upon his tellings, Metro 2033 has also some philosophical parts to it. The book is a story about a young man named Artyom as he sets out of the Moscow metro stations to battle an evil that threatens the surviving human race: a group of mutated creatures called the "Dark Ones". It is only after they are destroyed that Artyom realizes that they were only trying to help, and were humanity's last hope of survival.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/430595540